How to Train Your SOLDIER
by Demona3870
Summary: Cloud Strife knew he would face many challenges in ShinRa. Helping a SOLDIER with his love life was not what he had planned on.
1. Prologue

**How to Train Your SOLDIER**

 _Prologue_

"Please."

"No."

"Pretty please?"

"No."

"I'm not above begging."

"I can see that."

"I'm serious."

"So am I."

"Don't make me order you."

ShinRa Private Cloud Strife came to an abrupt stop and turned to face his companion. The SOLDIER First Class stopped a second after him, crossing his arms and staring defiantly down at the smaller, and scrawnier, trooper. Removing himself from the awkward situation, Cloud found the whole thing rather funny, actually, though Lt. Zack Fair's last remark left him less than pleased. Clearly, making such a comment as that meant the Gongagan was desperate… but really.

"Lieutenant, Sir," Cloud started quietly, his tone just brusque enough to pass for respectfully professional.

"Yes, Private?" Zack answered, just as soft, and only slightly menacing.

"If this has been your way of approaching her, it's no wonder she refuses to date you." He turned and began walking down the hall, nodding at fellow ShinRa troopers of higher rank as he continued towards the wing where his barracks bed beckoned to him. It had been a long day of training, and he really wasn't blending in well with his new class of Privates for his third year in the army. He'd hoped to at least be a Corporal by this point, giving himself a bit of a buffer from the troopers he first joined with. Cloud grimaced as memories of that first year flashed by. It wasn't that he couldn't get along with others, he was just highly selective of those he really trusted to call friends, and the majority of the pickings were rather slim…

"-Not listening to a word I'm saying, are you?"

Cloud turned just enough to see Zack walking beside him, a scowl on his face. The Private held back a smile. "I'm sorry, Sir, repeat your last?" he asked lightly.

"You're killing me, Strife."

"I'm just walking down a hall, Sir. If that's all it takes to bring down a SOLDIER, then I should be recruited already-hey!" Cloud lowered his voice as he was none too gently redirected into one of the ShinRa administrative offices. Steering them toward an empty cubicle, Zack looked around before sitting himself on the edge of the desk and staring at the Private now eye level with him. Cloud's eyes widened at the lack of teasing on his friend's face.

"Cloud," he said quietly, formalities dropped behind closed doors. "I'm in love with her."

The Private blinked rapidly at the bold statement. "You're kidding, right?" At the head shake, Cloud rolled his eyes and scoffed. "Zack, you barely even know her. How can you say you're in love with her?"

"Because I can't stop thinking about her. Because there's something about her that just-I don't know- makes me goofy when she smiles. I feel like I want to just be near her, even if she doesn't talk to me, even if she doesn't notice me… just because I feel so happy when she's close."

Cloud whistled softly. "You've got it bad."

Zack dropped his eyes and rubbed the back of his head. "I know. I know, and I can't-." He looked back up at Cloud with a sigh. "I need your help, man."

Cloud stared at his friend for several moments before he shook his head. "I don't know, Zack."

"Please!" Zack whispered urgently, clasping his hands together as if in prayer and biting on his lower lip. He gave Cloud the ShinRa famous sad puppy look that won over everyone… including Sephiroth. Or so Cloud had heard.

Cloud reached out his hand and covered Zack's eyes. "Don't," he groaned, feeling his resolve slip away. "Don't do that Zack."

"I'll give you whatever you want, Cloud. Whatever you ask for, man, I promise you'll get it," Zack begged from behind Cloud's gloved hand.

 _Damn it._ Cloud sighed and pulled his hand back. "Gods, I'm going to regret this-." His voice was lost in a gasp, the world spinning when Zack lifted him off his feet and hugged him tight. "Zack, _put me down!_ " he whispered vehemently. While he'd gotten used to the SOLDIER's penchant for touching, he absolutely hated being man handled. It just served to remind him of how small he was.

Zack gave one last good squeeze before dropping the blond and grabbing his shoulders. "You're the best, Spike!"

"I haven't agreed to anything yet," Cloud hissed as he straightened out his uniform. "Here's the deal, SOLDIER. I need help, too." Zack's eyebrows went up. Cloud sighed. "I'm not passing my physical tests well enough to get promoted." He glanced up before looking away in embarrassment. "I'm getting my ass kicked out there. Literally. So. You help me past the physicals, and I'll get you set up with Aerith."

"Deal!" Zack held out his hand enthusiastically.

"Wait," Cloud warned. "I want advanced lessons, Zack. Like SOLDIER stuff. I don't want to be just good enough for Corporal, I want good enough for Sergeant, at least."

"By the time I'm done with you, you'll be running laps around my Thirds," Zack promised.

 _If Aerith doesn't kill me first._ Shaking away the doubt, he grasped Zack's hand. "All right. Deal."


	2. How do I get into these Situations?

**Chapter 2: How Do I get myself into these Situations?**

Cloud was a victim of coincidence. That's what his mother would say. In reality, he was the Lifestream's comic relief, AKA Bad Luck Blondie. His mother, bless her heart, encouraged him to go out and do great things. He was 'born under the signs of the sun and the moon, she told him, he was destined to do great things with his astoundingly insightful ways!' she told him. Maybe it was his love of nature and his preference for isolation that brought on that first of many rants.

So, at the wizened age of 8 (and a few years of nagging by his well-intentioned Mother), he tried to be a little more social: he tried out for the Nibelheim Goats. The local little league football team usually fell around the middle of the rankings each year. An average team, it was clearly the right entry level for the scrawny blond who considered himself competitively challenged.

Cloud tried though, and surprisingly, made the cut. He envisioned being that one kid who would change the team for the better. With his help, they would go all the way to the Championship!

He did take the team somewhere: to last place. Turns out he kept getting confused on the field, and while he was pretty good at catching and could run like the wind, he'd run to the nearest end zone. 99% of the time, the end zone belonged to the opposite team. The opposing players loved him, and it wasn't until the coach tackled him that he figured out why.

He'd only played two games before he was declared a permanent bench warmer and bad luck charm. He didn't make the team any year after that, and Cloud was a little disappointed learning about the new gear and skilled players who began taking the team to new heights instead of him. Oh well, dream number one down.

So he tried doing something less physical. He joined the debate team at 12. Excelled at it, too, until he debated the teacher right out of a job. He hadn't meant to make Mr. Vieler so mad, he just couldn't be swayed that denying marriage rights to anyone was the people's moral obligation to support. Sure, he didn't know any same sex couples at the time, and while it did seem odd to him in the mechanics department, he argued the more people who can love each other should be better for the planet, not worse.

For Cloud, it was just a good, passionate debate. He had no way of knowing his support of justice for all would be taken as a personal offense by nearly everyone. So flustered by Cloud's staunch position, Mr. Vieler wildly demanded the blond leave the group. His animations led to a misstep and subsequent punch to the face of a girl in Cloud's group.

It ended up his last day as a teacher, and Cloud's last day on the debate team.

He joined the Junior Law Club after that, figuring he could use his uncanny knack for unveiling the truth and his apprentice level debate skills to serve people looking for justice. And he did just that, unveiling a five year racketeering ring in Nibelheim's Justice Department. The four top businesses who'd increased tourism (and Cloud had to give credit, that took real skill to bring tourism to his back water little town) had an illegal gambling ring involving the Nibelheim Goats. The Goats lost their funding, and in the end the Championship, and the businesses closed up, taking the tourism money with it.

Cloud was avoided after that like he'd contracted some rare skin eating disease.

By the time he'd left for ShinRa, he'd kind of wished he had.

Turned out the good folk of Midgar had a dark side. Sure, everyone knew the Slums could be bad news for anybody. He knew what places to avoid. But it wasn't the less fortunate one had to worry out. It was the people living it up on the plate, under the beautiful starry skies, enticing with their pretty faces and lavish jewels and silk attire.

Of course, being from a one reactor town, he hadn't heard all those fancy words like _tranny_ or _lady-boy_. It wasn't long before he was running for his life from people who either wanted to hire him on in brothels or claim him as a personal exotic pet. When he tried to hide in a local tavern, a fight broke out and three ShinRa officers were transported to medical.

He was standing before his division lead the next day, charged with under aged drinking and inciting a riot. Before he could be officially booted with less than one month of honorable service time, the drinking charge was dropped and he was reprimanded with 48 hours extra disciplinary service.

And then Zack showed up…

 _The door slammed open and Cloud looked up. Into the gymnasium walked, no strutted, a tall guy in coveralls. His black spiky hair bounced with his boisterous steps. It was kind of like Cloud's only longer. And the man was much larger, too. Built like an ox. Cloud thought he looked familiar. He thought the guy was a SOLIDER, but one of the lower ranks._

 _That couldn't be right though. No SOLDIER would be walking around with a mop and pulling along a bucket of water. Nor would said SOLDIER start mopping. Right in the middle of the floor… then walking through his own water puddles. Seriously, even newbies could figure out how to mop a damn floor. If this guy was getting paid for this, then Cloud was in the wrong line of work._

 _And what was that gods awful song he was belting out? Could that really be a horrendous rendition of… All My Single Ladies? Seriously?_

 _Cloud sat back on his heels and covered his face. He took a deep breath and looked through his fingers. The jerk was still there, still singing, and still making a mess of the floor, that he was supposed to clean up. Cloud huffed and threw his torn sponge in the bucket, gritting his teeth as nasty brown water splashed in his face._

 _When he started busting out dance moves with his mop to Shake It Off, Cloud couldn't take it anymore. He approached the guy, shaking his head at the utter terribleness of the raven haired man's groove. "Can I help you?" he asked over the off key singing. When he the man didn't respond, he stepped in his view. "Excuse me-hey!"_

 _The mop went from back up dancer to lethal weapon before Cloud could blink. He was on his back, dazed and struggling for breath. Two porcupines swirled in his vision, and a voice finally broke through the ringing in his ears._

 _"Yikes, are you all right, dude? You can't sneak up on a SOLDIER like that, man, unless you have a death wish."_

 _Cloud blinked rapidly. "SOLDIER's don't do grunt work, they don't dance badly, and they sure as hell don't sing chick songs."_

 _The single porcupine blinked then cocked his head to the side. "Well, had I've known there was a judge from Midgar's Got Talent, I woulda put on a much better performance." His face turned smug. "And I wouldn't make that comment about chick songs until you've heard Sephiroth sing 'Hello'. Bring a tear to your eye."_

 _Cloud scoffed. "Get the hell outta here," he muttered._

 _The so called SOLDIER gave Cloud a once over. "Who are you anyway, a starving artist posing as a recruit?"_

 _Cloud bristled. His size (or lack thereof) was always a push button. He quickly gathered his feet under him and stood tall… enough to glare menacingly at the man's shoulders. Well, he couldn't back down now. "Oh, and I suppose you're just a SOLDIER who moonlights as a janitor?"_

 _The man shrugged. "Just serving my time, like everyone else." At Cloud's incredulous look, he said, "What? You don't think SOLDIERs have to do grunt work, too?"_

 _"No, Sir," he said sarcastically. "If they did, I'd be out of a job. Speaking of which," he looked at the man's poor attempt at cleaning, "you're making my job harder."_

 _The man's violet eyes flicked around him. "What are you talking about? It's clean."_

 _Cloud sighed. "Yes, where you mopped. But around here," he gestured in a large circle, "is where you danced your way into another hour of clean up for me."_

 _"Oh."_

 _Cloud sighed. "Did someone send you down here to help me? Because if they did, really, I got this."_

 _"No one mentioned assisting a Chocobo. I'm just supposed to clean up Gym 6 before 2200 tonight."_

 _Cloud stared at the man for a moment. Casually he raised his arm and pointed across the room. "Gym 6 is on the other side of the main hall. This is Gym 9."_

 _The man looked around. His eyes stopped on the giant number 9 behind the basketball hoop. "Oh, look at that." He looked back at Cloud. "I guess you win this round."_

 _Cloud glanced down at the wet foot prints. "No, I really didn't." He glared back up at the man. "And I'm not a Chocobo."_

 _The man gave him a smile. "Yeah, you're right. A Chocobo would be taller."_

 _That was it. "And a janitor would have identification, and a no escort badge." He held his hand out._

 _The man's eyes narrowed. "Are you challenging me, recruit?"_

 _"That is one of my requirements, Sir, to challenge anyone I do not know for certain to have authorization to the premises." He beckoned once more with his fingers. "If you please, Sir."_

 _The man stared Cloud down for another moment, before giving a slow smile. It almost looked feral. Casually, he reached into his back pocket and pulled out his ID._

 _Cloud looked at it. And looked at it again. And tried very hard not to go white as a sheet embarrassingly quick. Instead, he cleared his throat, looked the Third Class SOLDIER dead in the eye, and said in a surprisingly steady voice, "Thank you Mr. Fair. But your ID is expired."_

 _"What?!" the SOLDIER said as he glanced at the card. "What the- gods damn it!" He looked at Cloud, who wisely kept his mouth shut. For about one minute._

 _"Sir, I'm going to need to escort you-."_

 _"Ok, ok, enough with the Sir stuff," the SOLDIER cut him off. He chuckled. "You're pretty by the book, aren't you?"_

 _Cloud shrugged. "Yes, Si- Yes."_

 _He gestured around the gym. "Then why are you here?"_

 _Cloud took a breath. "It's a long story. And not completely my fault."_

 _The SOLDIER laughed. "Story of my life. You got a name?"_

 _"Recruit Strife."_

 _"What kinda Mother names her kid Recruit?"_

 _Cloud glared. "My mother calls me Cloud. You may call me Recruit."_

 _"Well, you can call me Zack," Zack smiled, wrapping his arm around Cloud's shoulder. "When out of uniform, anyway. And you know what? I like you. You're a good man, Strife. Now I know what you're thinking, but I'll earn your trust, just as you should earn mine. Hopefully I can earn it over a chocolate bar. You hungry? I'm hungry, and I'm buying."_

 _"But, the gym-" Cloud tried to protest, looking back longingly to the lonely sponge. He still had a lot of homework today, let alone finishing the gym. And tonight, he really just wasn't feeling social. Especially not this kind of social._

 _"Don't worry about it, two hands are better than one, right?"_

 _"Uh, sure," Cloud agreed hesitantly, "but-"_

 _"But nothing, I want to hear all about this blameless incident. Bet it's not much different from mine…"_

It was, actually, a lot different. With a donkey and Genesis' office and more cowbell. It was the first of many pranks Cloud would be privy to that he probably shouldn't have been. But it worked. Zack Fair and his unconventional ways won over Cloud's trust. The two eventually became friends, something Cloud still wondered about when he thought too much about it.

Like when he was thrown from his bed at 4:16 am, an excited Zack Fair poking him in the face on the floor. Cloud groaned and pulled the pillow over his head, trying desperately to block out the man's overly joyful voice. "Wakey wakey, sunshine! Time to get you promoted!"

"Can't it wait until 6?" Cloud mumbled from the blankets he squirreled further into, eager to return to slumber.

"6?! Only old men and babies sleep til 6!"

"And normal people."

Zack reached down and ripped the covers from the cringing blond. "SOLDIERs aren't normal, you know that."

"Clearly," Cloud glared.

Zack bent down and put his face level to Cloud's. "So, how's Aerith?" he asked innocently.

Cloud blinked then threw his other pillow at Zack. "Gods above, it's been," he glanced at his watch, "eight hours since you asked me about this!"

"So… you haven't talked to her yet?"

"No!"

Zack pouted. "Oh." But like a passing shadow, Zack was back to his exuberant self. "Well, the sooner we get your workout done, the sooner you can see how she's doing. Let's go!" Zack jumped up and practically bounded out the door.

Cloud covered his face with his hand and fell back to the floor, once again wondering just what he'd gotten himself into.


	3. It's Raining Men

**Chapter 3: It's Raining Men**

Cloud was a gift, but not an exception. That's what his mother would say. Every year, on the morning of his birthday, she would wake him, hug him, and tell him he was a gift but not an exception. Then he'd be up and out the door, pushed off in the direction of neighbor Gertrude to help in her garden or Old Man Harvey for his trash or whoever his mother said needed help.

It bothered him for years, and he'd pout until his mother threatened his hide with the business end of his father's belt. Then he'd do his tasking, come home to cake and presents, and life carried on as usual. It never occurred to him to question this odd arrangement until he helped Tifa build a doll house one year. He could still remember the look on her face.

" _Boys don't play with dolls," she told him at the door._

" _Boys build houses," he said. "Where's the wood?"_

 _She shrugged and let him in. "Isn't it your birthday today?"_

 _Cloud nodded as he followed her to the living room, where her father had gathered a pile of small boards. He was supposed to build the house but had gone up the mountain after word of three of Gertrude's goats went missing. Cloud sat down on the floor and went straight to work._

" _Uh, happy birthday," Tifa said. She sat down near him, watching as he began arranging the boards into a bedroom, kitchen, and den. "Why are you here on your birthday?"_

" _Mom told me you needed help."_

" _But it's your birthday. It's supposed to be about you."_

 _Cloud looked at Tifa. "Your mother doesn't make you do chores on your birthday?"_

 _Her eyebrows shot up. "It's the only time of year I don't do chores." She looked down at your hands. "I don't know anyone who doesn't just play on their birthday. But I guess that's okay. You and your Mom always do things different." She looked back up. "It's kinda cool."_

 _Cloud blushed and began making a roof. "Thanks," he mumbled._

 _When he got home, he ignored his mother's big smile and open arms. He sat in his chair, looked her in the eye, and said, "Why are we different?"_

 _His mom frowned and moved to the chair next to him. "What do you mean?'_

" _I looked like a total loser in front of Tifa. She doesn't go help people on her birthday. She plays and has parties. Why do you make me do all this stuff? Why do I have to be weird?"_

 _Her eyes softened and she smiled lightly. She took his hand in hers and said, "Cloud, you are a gift. The Lifestream chose to give you life. Many children aren't so lucky. That's balance. People live, people die. I'm going to die one day, and so will you." She placed her hands around his face. "Don't be sad now. It's only fact. So we celebrate today to give thanks for you being here. And to honor the Lifestream's gift, you give back to others."_

 _She brushed back a stray blond spike and kissed his forehead. "You're right, we are different. We are all different. And yet, when our lives end, we all go back to the same place we came from. In the beginning, and in the end, we are all the same. We must honor each other just as much as we honor ourselves."_

His mother said many wise things. This was the one he cherished most.

Every year after that, he chose who to help, and he did so without question or complaint. The other kids still thought he was weird, but he couldn't deny the happiness he felt when others thanked him, and even more, when they looked forward to his help. Maybe he didn't always fit in, maybe his intentions didn't always turn out right, but in the end there was always someone who could use a hand.

And every once in a while, that someone would become a friend…

 _It was Volunteer Day at ShinRa. Every year, each cadet division was assigned a different place in the Midgar slums to help clean up and beautify the local area. While a valiant effort was always made, everyone knew it was more an exercise in showing face with the community than to actually improve their morale. Cloud didn't mind, though. It was a chance to get out and enjoy some semi-fresh air away from the division leads, who always found something wrong with Cloud's uniform or bed making or hand writing or manner of eating with a spoon._

 _Not everyone was so happy to go. In fact, his entire division groaned when they learned of their tasking: reducing the pile of scrap metal and trash in Sector Five. Some divisions got to hand out water and blankets, others repaired homes. They got dumpster duty._

 _It took at least an hour before everyone started chipping in. They broke off into their little cliques, some sticking with glass collection, others just moving stuff around to make it look neat. Cloud went right for the stuff no one wanted: the huge pile of refuse dumped into an expanding pyramid of stink. He put on his gloves, tucked a huge roll of trash bags in his belt, and set off to work._

 _It was nasty. Nastier than the mystery meat served every Thursday. Even worse than when Cloud had to help clean the bathroom stalls after a bout of stomach flu hit every division on the third floor. He didn't think anything could be worse than that._

' _Welcome to the Slums, Bad Luck Blondie. You've hit the jackpot again!'_

 _Perhaps the only good thing about the towering pile of funk was that no one else came near it. It gave Cloud some peace and quiet, a commodity rarely enjoyed in a division of 60 young boys dreaming of making it big In SOLDIER. Cloud shared those dreams, but no one gave him a second thought he would have a chance. That was okay. He was patient. His time was coming._

 _His hand sunk into something warm, wet, and sticky, all the way to his elbow, the liquid oozing over his glove and down his palm. Cloud threw up a little in his mouth._

 _His time wasn't coming soon enough._

 _The air broke with shrill laughter, followed by the slamming of a large door. Cloud looked over at an old decrepit building as a group of children ran down the stone steps. They stopped suddenly when they saw the cadets. A woman came out behind them, laughing, until she too noticed they weren't alone. She carried a staff of some sort in her right hand, and her grip tightened as she stepped between the children and the lead cadet Johnson. 'This should be good,' Cloud thought as he pulled his arm out and removed his glove._

" _Don't be alarmed, Miss," Johnson said in a deep voice, deeper now with the positional authority and added audience. "We're just here for Volunteer Day." He gestured to the division. "Everyone is helping out to brighten up your home." He crossed his arms and leaned forward a little. "Is there anything we can assist you with? Perhaps an escort back to school?"_

 _The brunette blinked at him then smiled lightly. "No, thank you, we can find our way back." She looked around at the others, some of whom had stopped working to sit and watch the exchange. "And, um, thanks for all the help. It looks… great."_

" _Doesn't it?" Johnson asked with a sweep of his arm. "We're proud to bring a little bit of ShinRa hospitality to your humble abode." He dropped his arm around her shoulder and said quietly, "You look like your great with children. I love children. Would you like to talk about children over lunch sometime?"_

 _Cloud snorted in his helmet._

 _The brunette carefully unwrapped herself from Johnson's embrace. "Oh, thank you, but I can't. I gave that up, you know, for religious reasons."_

 _Johnson cocked his head. "What, children?"_

" _No, eating."_

 _Cloud coughed abruptly._

" _But I really appreciate the gesture," she gushed before Johnson could say anything. She began guiding the group away. "Really, you're very sweet. But also very busy I see." Her eyes roamed over all the trash still remaining. "Looks like you've got a long day ahead of you. Best of luck."_

" _You really shouldn't go alone," Johnson insisted. "Lots of monsters in this area."_

 _She gave her staff a little wave. "I'm not too worried about it, but again, thank you. Goodbye."_

" _Come on, a girl with a stick? What are you going to do, try and sweep it away like it's a dust bunny?"_

 _Some of the guys laughed. Cloud shook his head and tossed both gloves aside._

" _Oh, no," she said sweetly. "The monster will just laugh itself to death. Works every time. Bye."_

" _Neuman, you're in charge," Johnson ordered another cadet. "I will return once the lady is safe."_

 _Cloud heard some of the others chuckle. He groaned and imagined the young lady was doing the same. If there was one thing you could say about Johnson, he didn't know how to take a hint._

 _A box tumbled down the pile, starting a small landslide. Cloud looked up as the landfill shifted to the right, away from him. He backed up all the same, unconcerned, until something moved. The something that had knocked over the box. Tilting his head, he caught sight of a tail. Stepping to the side, he saw two more, and the hideous spiked bodies attached to them. The heads swiveled to face him and the creatures reared up._

" _Aw, shit, Whole Eaters!" Cloud shouted, backing away frantically as one jumped at him. He pulled his gun up but tripped over a barrel, falling away just inches from the creatures gnashing teeth. The ground showed no pity as he slammed into it hard, his helmet rolling off and into a puddle. Gun fire erupted sending pebbles into his face and Cloud scrambled away, cursing the idiots in his division._

 _He looked up from behind a broken crate. The cadets were split into two groups, each surrounding a Whole Eater. The third was missing. He heard a scream and found the group of children being backed into a demolished building. They couldn't climb the walls. There was nowhere to go._

 _Then the brunette ran at the beast, spinning her staff and hitting it from behind with all her might. The creature roared and snapped its tail, knocking the girl back five feet, her body rolling down a hill and out of sight. The Whole Eater followed its new prey, and Cloud ran out._

" _Go, run!" he yelled at the children as he sprinted to the hill. He brought up his gun, ready to shoot the monster and praying it hadn't already eaten the nice lady. He came up short. The brunette was dusting off her hands, the staff resting causally against a pile of burnt furniture, the creature dead at her feet, or at least unconscious._

 _She looked up at him. "Can I help you?"_

" _Uh, no," he said as he made his way down the hill. "I was actually here to rescue you." He kicked at the beast. No response._

" _Aren't you a little short to be a ShinRa trooper?"_

 _He looked up at the soft voice and was surprised by the brilliance of her green eyes in her frowning face. Her hands were on her hips and she looked every bit the damsel in direction. Then her words registered._

" _It's the hair," he deadpanned. "Gives me an extra six inches."_

 _Her eyebrow quirked with her smile. "I see that. Must be hard to find a helmet that fits."_

" _I manage." He nodded up the hill. "You should go check on the kids. The firing's stopped, they've probably finished off the others."_

 _She grabbed her staff. "You'll escort me, yes?"_

" _What for? You've won more fights than I have today," he said as they came to the top._

" _Because I'd hate to knock out your friend, too." Her eyes shifted over to Johnson, who was surveying the scene from a small shelter yards away. He was barking orders until he caught site of Cloud, and he started jogging over to them._

 _Cloud looked at his companion. "I'll just tell him you're not the girl he's looking for," he said with a little wave of his hand._

 _Her laughter rang out, a surprising sound after the ambush, and Cloud found himself smiling with her. He liked her laugh, and the way her arm looped through his. He liked it even more when Johnson stumbled to a stop, then ordered Cloud to get all civilians out of the immediate area and report back for clean up._

Cloud had been surprised at the lack of competition from Johnson that day. Of course, he found out why when he got beat up at the barracks that night. But that was okay. He'd met Aerith Gainsborough, and it wasn't the last time he crossed her path. Turns out, they had a common interest in helping others, and soon he became a regular in the Sector 5 Slums. His last project had been to fix a hole in the roof of her favorite hangout, that decrepit old building where they'd met. It was an abandoned church turned into a beautiful sanctuary for the children to play. It was her pride and joy. Woe to the individual who messed with her church.

It took him three weeks and two near death experiences, but he finished the job. It was a shame with the amount of light that managed to come in, but since the upper plate had started dumping trash down the newest installed chute, sometimes it would fall into the church. Now the kids would be safe from more garbage, at least in their little safe haven.

Which was why Cloud was rather put off to find a brand new hole, right where he'd fixed the first one. Aerith was sitting in the garden, tending to her flowers, and looked up when she heard his exclamation. "Hi, Cloud."

"What in the hell- hey, Aerith- happened in here?!" He pointed up at the sky. "They dropped a bus, didn't they? Or part of a house? Or an anvil? What the hell?!"

"No, just a robber, and his arresting officer."

"Come again?" Cloud said.

Aerith sat back in the garden and looked up. "Some guy jumped from the plate, guess he stole something important, and long story short, a SOLDIER fell through the roof chasing him."

Cloud slowed as he sat down on the floor. "What SOLDIER?" he asked carefully.

Aerith shrugged. "Some tall guy with long black hair and this excessively large sword. Looked a bit much for him, but clearly he's got something to prove. Anyway, he grabbed the guy and threw him through the wall over there. He was quite zealous in his work, I'll give him that."

Cloud looked to the left where a new doorway had been created. He sighed and put his face in his hand. "That's putting it nicely," he mumbled.

"I asked he come back here and fix everything, but he just stared at me. You know those SOLDIERs have weird glowy eyes? It was creepy."

Cloud groaned internally. "Did he say anything?" he asked from behind his fingers.

"Yeah, I think he tried to, but a helicopter showed up with the Turks, so I booked it." She gave him a look. "You know how I feel about those guys." She went back to pulling a weed. "I wish all of ShinRa would just disappear. Present company excluded," she giggle

"Thanks," he said.

"You're welcome! So, what did you want to talk to me about?" she asked.

Cloud sighed and looked at the hole in the wall. This was not gonna go well. "So, about that guy who needs to repair your church…"

 _A/N: I do not own anything having to do with Star Wars, and I'm not claiming to own those famously not mine quotes. It was just nerd moment, I swear._


End file.
